Chapter 151: Chapter 133: The Shadow Scout’s Past, Fuyao Sword Tomb, Immortal Sword Jin Yu

A fine show was about to begin in Prince Jin’s Mansion.

Meanwhile, in Qingzhu Hall, a lovely visitor had quietly arrived.

“Greetings, Princess Consort.”

At the entrance, Zi Yun and Hong Wan bowed gently to a woman outside the hall. She wore a long, elegant gown, possessed a gentle and virtuous air, and her hair was tied in a looped bun.

After marriage, a woman’s hairstyle would change to signify her status as a wife. Thus, women in ancient times would typically wear their hair up after getting married.

Qi Muxue, who usually wore her hair down, rarely put it up in a bun. Now, with the Phoenix Hairpin Jade pinned in her hair, she looked utterly dignified and noble. Her red lips parted as she asked, “Is His Highness in his room?”

Zi Yun replied, “His Highness is taking his afternoon nap. He is fast asleep in the bedroom and has instructed that he not be disturbed.”

“An afternoon nap?”

Qi Muxue murmured softly, not expecting Lu Mingyuan to have such a habit.

“Yes, he takes a break like this every now and then.”

“May I go in?”

Zi Yun and Hong Wan exchanged a glance, and after a moment’s hesitation, they let the Princess Consort in.

After all, Qi Muxue was the principal wife, the mistress of the house. They couldn’t disobey her.

However, they still followed behind her.

Qi Muxue looked up at the time of day, puzzled. ’Who would be sleeping so late in broad daylight?’ she wondered. Lifting her skirt, she walked to Lu Mingyuan’s bedroom. The two maids opened the door for her and then tactfully withdrew.

Qi Muxue entered the large room and saw that the blanket on Lu Mingyuan had been kicked to the foot of the bed. He was lying there quietly on his side, his head pillowed on his elbow, looking dead to the world.

Qi Muxue patted his arm, but there was no response.

Lu Mingyuan had a strong build; even if he were awake, a pat like that would be no different from a tickle, let alone while he was fast asleep. She figured her touch was too light and he was simply sleeping too deeply.

「Meanwhile.」

Outside the Imperial Capital City, the forest was dark and shady, filled with the sound of birdsong.

The raised mountain range resembled the spine of a giant crocodile, twisting and winding. From above, it looked like a colossal python lying on the ground, towering majestically.

“WHOOSH!”

A series of crimson figures shot through the woods. The burly young man, weaving between the shadows of the bamboo, came to a sudden halt. The eyes beneath his Bronze Tiger Mask betrayed his surprise.

“What is it?”

The Black-clothed Armored Woman ahead of him turned back, a hint of confusion in her cold eyes.

“N-nothing. I just suddenly need to relieve myself.”

Lu Mingyuan forced a smile.

He had just sensed someone touching his real body.

“Hurry up. I’ll wait for you ahead,” Lord Shadow Scout said flatly before walking on ahead.

Lu Mingyuan glanced at the dozen or so Grandmaster Shadow Warriors following him, then briefly sent his Divine Soul back to the hall. Seeing who the visitor was, he let out a sigh of relief.

’Ah, Mu Xue, Mu Xue,’ he thought with a sigh. ’Your timing couldn’t be worse.’

Back in Qingzhu Hall.

A long time passed, but Qi Muxue still didn’t see him wake up. ’What could he be dreaming about?’ she thought. ’He won’t even wake up from this.’

“Mu Xue, don’t touch me…”

Suddenly, Lu Mingyuan muttered in his sleep.

Qi Muxue stumbled back, thinking she had woken him. ’So he was just talking in his sleep,’ she realized.

Then, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of joy and shyness. What young woman wouldn’t want her beloved to call her name in his dreams?

’But what did he mean by “don’t touch me”?’

’Could it be that he was dreaming about me…’

Whatever she imagined, the blush on Qi Muxue’s face deepened.

She leaned in cautiously, looking at Lu Mingyuan’s increasingly handsome and mature face, filled with an affection she couldn’t restrain. Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch him, muttering softly, “Strange, he’s so warm. His Primordial Qi and blood are all active. How odd. He can’t even get a moment’s peace while sleeping.”

After speaking, she pulled the blanket up over him and tucked in the corners. Then, she rested her head beside him, gazing intently at her beloved’s sleeping form.

…

「In the mountain forest.」

Lu Mingyuan sighed in relief when he realized his body was no longer being touched. ’My real body can’t be touched so easily,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, my Divine Soul will fluctuate, and the connection to this Shadow Warrior’s body will become unstable. I’ll have to find a more secluded spot next time.’

This was one of the few times he had left the Imperial Capital City, and his first time on a mission outside its walls.

Suddenly, the Black-clothed Woman ahead came to a stop, perching on a tree branch and staring at something in the distance.

“What is it, Lord Shadow Scout?”

Lu Mingyuan asked.

“There’s a fairy blocking the path. We’re changing course.”

After replying, the Black-clothed Woman leaped away in another direction.

Lu Mingyuan immediately followed, asking curiously as he glanced at the sun-drenched vegetation, “Lord Shadow Scout, we’re near the Imperial Capital. There shouldn’t be many harmful fairies around here, right?”

The Black-clothed Woman shot him a quick glance but kept her eyes fixed forward. “The Central Plains World is vast. There are more than a dozen great dynasties with populations exceeding ten million households. It’s just that under the might of Great Yan, they don’t dare call themselves empires, though they still act as dynasties in private. There are countless famous mountains and great rivers. Through all sorts of chance opportunities, some Mountain Ghosts and Spirits are lucky enough to take human form and step onto the path of Cultivation. It’s not common, but it’s not rare either. There are always undiscovered spirits. They might not actively harm people, and neither the Immortal Influences nor the Dynasty will bother them. But if you wander into their territory, you must be on your guard.”

Lu Mingyuan joked, “With your level of Cultivation, are you really afraid of those Mountain Ghosts and Spirit Monsters?”

He knew, after all, that the woman before him was capable of Yin Spirit Emergence.

“On the surface, our objective is to intercept and kill Princess Jin Wu. In reality, it is to create a feud between Princess Jin Wu and the Seventh Prince. Exorcising spirits is not our goal. Don’t put the cart before the horse.”

“If you let those things delay us, are you trying to get His Highness to punish me?”

the Black-clothed Woman emphasized, questioning him sharply.

Lu Mingyuan apologized sheepishly, “My apologies, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Lord Shadow Scout is far more meticulous.”

He looked at the Black-clothed Woman before him, a sense of curiosity rising in his heart.

’Her background is a complete mystery. Rumor has it she’s from the Fuyao Sword Palace in the Daoist Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. They say she cultivated a Forbidden Swordsmanship, failed to protect an Elder, and was charged with a great crime. Then she fought her way out of their prison.’

’The Fuyao Sword Palace is located in the land of Fuyao, one of the Ten Great Blessed Lands. During the Middle Ages, it was the Ascension Ancient Land for six Sword Immortals. The Sword Qi there is everlasting. Legend says that by meditating in the clouds of the Fuyao Blessed Land, one can receive the legacy of an Ancient Sword Immortal in their dreams. In the center of the Blessed Land stands Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain, which is covered in countless Flying Swords. It’s a remnant Sword Tomb that was later built into the Sword Pavilion by the Fuyao Sword Palace.’

’Fuyao Swordsmanship is a Dharma Gate coveted by countless Sword Cultivators. It’s also incredibly difficult to find a Flying Sword in the Sword Pavilion that will acknowledge you as its master.’

The group from the Endless Pavilion soon reached a small town in the Capital Region and found an inn to stay at.

Lu Mingyuan followed the Shadow Scout, buying plenty of supplies and clothes, and also purchased a horse-drawn carriage.

The Shadow Scout explained, “Tomorrow morning, the guards from the Golden Crow Country will pass through this town. Our disguised merchant caravan will pretend to be bandits, intercept and kill Princess Jin Wu, and deliberately leave clues that lead back to our ’caravan’. Then we’ll frame the Seventh Prince.”

Lu Mingyuan silently agreed. ’I wonder who came up with this plan,’ he thought. ’This ’killing with a borrowed knife’ is truly vicious.’

A scheme within a scheme, a trap within a trap.

“Ancient Golden Crow Country, striding forth from the sun. With Jin Yu’s blessing, the living will see blood.”

At the same time, the Black-clothed Woman added a warning, “That line is an ancient proverb from the Golden Crow Country. Every royal heir is protected by an Immortal Sword, and in the Royal City’s Sword Tomb, ten thousand Flying Swords are on standby in the back mountain. So, you need to watch out for your own safety. If you die, I won’t be collecting your corpse.”

“You know a lot about the Golden Crow Country, my lord.”

Lu Mingyuan realized that a large part of the reason she was in charge of this mission was her detailed intelligence. ’I don’t think the Endless Pavilion gathered this information,’ he thought. ’She knew it all along.’

Hearing Lu Mingyuan’s words, a flicker of reminiscence passed through the Black-clothed Woman’s eyes, but she quickly turned cold again. “Did you hear a word I said or not?”

Lu Mingyuan nodded seriously. “I won’t go near Princess Jin Wu. I’ll follow your every command, my lord.”

’This guy is arrogant because he has the Second Prince’s favor,’ the Black-clothed Woman thought. ’That’s why he’s being so flippant.’

“These are Disguise Pills. Take them and distribute them.”

She said nothing more, tossed a porcelain vial to Lu Mingyuan, and then, sword in hand, turned and entered her room.

…

「Late Afternoon.」

The sun began to dip, its rays no longer so glaring.

It was utterly silent inside the bedroom of Qingzhu Hall.

’He’s still not awake? Something’s not right.’

Qi Muxue had been waiting for a long time, but Lu Mingyuan showed no signs of waking. Sensing something was wrong, she was just about to give him a full examination.

“Hey!”

Before she could react, Lu Mingyuan’s eyes snapped open, and with a sweep of his arms, he pulled her onto the bed.

Suddenly pinned to the bed, Qi Muxue jumped, completely startled. She crossed her arms over her chest, “L-let me go! What are you doing?”

Lu Mingyuan held Qi Muxue’s soft, delicate body tightly, inhaling her enchanting fragrance. “You’re the one who was teasing me first,” he said with a playful, teasing smile. “And now you have the nerve to play the victim?”

“Who… who was teasing you? Let go!”

Lu Mingyuan leaned in, staring into her evasive eyes. “Still won’t admit it? Then who was just touching my face?”

“You were pretending to be asleep?”

Qi Muxue was mortified. It was one thing to be caught, but it was another that their faces were now practically touching. His warm, masculine breath fanned across her face, making it feel ticklish and tingly.

“So you were awake all along. I was wondering why you didn’t respond when I called you.”

Lu Mingyuan looked curious. “You called me? I really didn’t hear anything.”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Qi Muxue forced down her embarrassment and asked, “When did you wake up?”

Lu Mingyuan grinned. “Naturally, right when a certain someone was secretly touching me.”

Hearing this, Qi Muxue began to struggle fiercely, not realizing she was only giving Lu Mingyuan a free advantage. It was autumn, and neither of them was wearing much; the friction greatly aroused him.

Seeing she couldn’t break free, Qi Muxue panted, “What do you want?”

Lu Mingyuan didn’t answer, instead burying his face in her smooth, black hair and planting light, fleeting kisses.

“Husband… I’m begging you, let me go. It’s not even dark yet.”

Lu Mingyuan did indeed stop, but letting her go was absolutely out of the question.

Qi Muxue squeezed her crystal-clear eyes shut, not daring to look at him.

“Will you dare to disturb my afternoon nap again in the future?”

“I won’t…”

…

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